How To produce Conventional English Fish and Chips

Chameleons Music

Nice track to pay attention to whist building these delectable nuggets of fish and chips. Chameleons upload by MarkTurver1990

Hot and Sexy Fish and Chips

It’s no coincidence that the United Kingdom is the birthplace of a vast number of some of the sexiest stars the world has ever known. Of course, sexy people can be found all over the globe in every country and in every culture. But none combine wit, self assuredness, self irony and ease of nature as well as the English do.

What is their secret? If we one believes the old saying "you are what you eat" then the answer is simple; the national dish – Fish and Chips!

What makes Fish and Chips so sexy is the demands it places upon the senses. The look of the delicate brown crust that gently embraces the steaming soft white meat of the fish, the tangy hint of Malt Vinegar thats been sparingly trickled onto it. The thick brown chips cripsy yet soft and pleasing.

In the North of England Mushy Peas are served with Fish and Chips but this is neither conventional nor crucial to the lovely experience of eating well made Fish and Chips. What follows is a relatively simple Recipe that, when diligently followed, is sure to deliver excellent results in the form of the sexiest fish and chips you’ve ever enjoyed. Prepare yourself well, put on some good music and an attractive T-Shirt and apron and before starting: close your eyes and think of England!

What you will need

Fresh Cod Fillets – if you live near the water from which it came. Otherwise use flash frozen fish that has been vacuum sealed, this is the best assurance that the fish is really fresh. Fish, more than any type of raw food must be stored at very low temperatures when sold fresh. It’s meat should look white and radiant and should not smell fishy at all. If the fish has yellow spots or looks transparent in certain areas or if it looks shiney (an indication of slime) then do not buy it, it’s no longer fresh.

Beer or Mineral water – if you wish to generate a beer batter you should know how the beer tastes as it’s flavor will influence that of the batter. Pils should be avoided because of it’s bitterness, a beer with lasting foam is best because this makes the batter fluffier. Use only a good, neutral tasting mineral water. Some can taste salty, others can taste slightly muddy – avoid these, they’ll ruin your meal.

Potatoes- the best for frying are King Edward or Maris Piper. The type of oil you use will strongly influence the flavor of your Chips so please do not use cheap cooking oil. Choose a good corn oil as this harmonizes with the flavor of the potatoes best. Cut the potatoes so that they are equally thick where possible.

An apron and a Short sleeved shirt – because the fish is cooked in Batter, this meal is not nearly as messy to prepare as flour dipped fish can be (no egg mixes, no double dredging or shaking). Nevertheless, the wearing of a short sleeved shirt is advisable because you’ll be working with raw fish and raw potatoes, both of which need to be rinsed and also because you’ll most likely want to wash your hands in between steps.

TipSoaking the potatoes in lots of water will extract some of the starch. Less starch means crispier chips, so doing this about an hour before cooking is a good idea. Be sure to rinse the potatoes as well afetr taking them out of the water and dry the potatoes with one or two kitchen clothes to reduce oil splatter and to prevent sudden drops of cooking temperature.

Timing

Chips have a considerably longer cooking time than fish. Thats why they should be cooked in two phases. the first phase is responsible for softening the Potatoe slices and should be done before cooking the fish. The second phase is responsible for finishing the job, that is the "browning and completion of the cooking" phase. The second phase is rather short and allows your fish to cool a bit so that you don’t burn your mouth when eating them. It also allows for the drainage of excess oils from the fish.

Grind the sea salt, the peppercorns, nutmeg an the dried chillies to a powder and mix them together with the cup of flour and the bicarbonate of soda. Add enough beer to give a somewhat thick batter (about as thick as joghurt) and beat the batter until it becomes smooth and free of lumps.

Frying the Chips-Phase 1

Peel the potaoes and cut them into thumb-thick pieces. Place the pieces into a salad bowl filled with cold tap water.Heat the oil in a tall pot. Once the oil becomes hot, carefullly put your potatoes in it. The temperature can be tested by submerging the end of a wooden salad spoon into the oil, when no bubbles appear the oil is ready. Fry the Potatoes until they become soft. At this point they should still be rather pale. Remove them from the oil and allow them to drain of excess oil. The second and final phase of Chip preparation follows once all of the fish has been cooked.

Frying the fish

Sprinkle flour into a large shallow bowl or onto a plate, enough to completely cover the surface. Dredge the fish into the dry flour ( this keeps the batter on the fish throughout the cooking process). Using a cooking fork, dip one of the fillets into the batter and coat it thoroughly. Lift the piece out of the batter allowing excess batter to drip away and then place the fish into the oil. Repeat for each piece. The cooking time is dictated by the thickness of your fillets and can take from 5- 8 minutes or more. Keep the fish warm in your oven while completing the preparation of the Chips.

Frying the chips – Phase 2

Allow the oil to return to frying temperature and carefully place the chips into the oil again. Fry until golden brown, remove from the allow and drain. Serve with Malt vinegar and enjoy!